Toddler Tank Dress {Upcycled} | Turn an old ribbed tank top into a cute little toddler dress. An easy and inexpensive diy upcycle!
I’m not a very go with the flow kind of person. You aren’t shocked, are you?
I wouldn’t say I’m organized, okay, I’m definitely not organized. But I do like order. I want things to go a certain way (my way), and I struggle when they don’t. (Though the few curve balls that life has thrown at me, and the two children who hardly ever do things the way I want them to have sure helped me work on this little . . . quirk.)
Which is maybe why when it comes to crafting and baking I’m super go with the flow. Like maybe too go with the flow. I like to go off of recipe, and I have yet to follow a sewing pattern.
I like to make things up as I go along, and sit back in awe when they happen to go well.
Like with this tank dress.
After all the great feedback I got from Quinn’s Fourth of July Bandana Dress last year, I knew that I wanted to make something for her to wear again this summer and I had this old tank top laying around . . . and yup, that’s the tutorial!
Okay, I can give you a little more than that, but not much more, because I kind of made it up as I went along.
You want to start by cutting the tank top apart, into a front and a back – two pieces.
You can see by where I placed the pins on the straps about how much needed to come off to fit little Quinn (she’s in a size 18 month if you are wondering about sizing).
The neck hole ended up being too low, so I added some of what I was going to use for the skirt, ironically, an old bed skirt. Yup, just a couple bucks from Goodwill, and I got all that great white eyelet material.
The skirt was going to be just one layer, but at the last minute I decided it would be much cuter with two. I did some pleating with the skirt, sewed in the pleats, and then attached them to the tank top so that the seams would be on the inside.
This is what I will say about sewing on the skirt piece. I wish I had used elastic thread! The material has absolutely no give to it, so even though I used a zig-zag stitch, it still is really stiff and kind of difficult to get Quinn into.
Though I must say, the cuteness more than makes up for it.
And then in the end, I pulled out some scrap fabric from the Picnic Party Apparel, and added a little fabric flower.
One more picture and then I’m done, I swear.
This is Quinn after the pictures outside, for which she had been promised a cookie, and before she actually got the cookie. I’m pretty sure she thought she had been duped.
Rachel Willis says
I seriously love this dress! {I love the bandanna dress from last year, too} These photos of Quinn really make me smile! The last one is hysterical. You can totally see than she was ready for that cookie. Like NOW.
Julie Evink says
So cute and you are so talented!
Melissa {Persnickety Plates} says
I can’t even concentrate on the dress because Quinn is so cute. I get the same face/stance when I feel like I’ve been duped out of a cookie.
Anna says
This is SO cute!!!
I absolutely love the name of your blog. If I had a craft blog that would be my title. I love wine and I’m so not crafty. 🙂
Anna
askannamoseley.com
TheTastyFork says
Quinn is a doll!! The dress is cute too… but Quinn really steals the show 🙂
Dorothy @ Crazy for Crust says
That is too adorable – and so is Quinn!! My mom has done some tank dresses like this and Jordan loves them! You totally could sell them for bank!
cooking with curls says
She is absolutely adorable!!! I like the dress too 🙂
Kayla Jean says
cutest dress ever!! Great job!
HandJ Cobb says
Very clever! I never would have thought of using an adult tank top as a dress, great job! I love the lace at the neckline, too, it really helps tie it all together!
http://www.domesticblisssquared.com
Amber Heidi says
So adorable! I LOVE the last picture 🙂 Great job on the dress, it is super cute!
Heidi @ handmadefrenzy.blogspot.com
Navy Wifey Peters says
Cute dress! I love the red flower. Quinn is beyond adorable!
Navy Wifey Peters @ Submarine Sunday Link Party #34